The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) is modifying one component (Project #7) of the Indiana Gateway Project.  The Indiana Gateway Project addresses congestion on the Chicago Line in Northwest Indiana, one of the most delay-prone intercity rail passenger corridors in the country, and an important passenger route providing service to and from the Chicago metropolitan area and critical passenger destinations in Northern Indiana. The Indiana Gateway Project is an American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funded program that provides both stand-alone congestion relief benefits, as well as a path towards development of the corridor as a high-speed corridor within the Chicago Hub Network.  The Indiana Gateway Project # 7, one of eight component projects of the Indiana Gateway Project, and addresses congestion and constrained operational fluidity on the portion of the Chicago Line adjacent to Pine Yard in Gary, Indiana.

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to address two minor modifications specifically for the (1) movement of the existing access road and stormwater management ditch several feet to the north of the previously approved Pine Siding Extension, and (2) addition of a Pine Yard Lead Track to allow for access from the new Pine Siding Extension and two existing mainlines to the existing Pine Yard. Several alternatives, including a no action alternative, are assessed in the EA. Direct, indirect, and cumulative effects are also analyzed.  The EA was executed by the FRA on May 16, 2016.